5) Lemon juice — Debunked.
With over 1.8 million TikTok views, lemon juice is another viral jewellery cleaning hack.
BUT, it’s not great at all.
Lemon juice can be used to clean tarnish from copper and brass jewellery, but its acidic nature can cause detrimental damage to your pieces, such as discolouration and weakening of the metal setting and gemstones. If you want to keep the integrity of your pieces for longer, especially on pieces with porous or soft gemstones like pearls or turquoise, I’d avoid using lemon juice entirely, as it’s too harsh for regular use.
The acidity of lemon juice can also harm the metal settings and affect the appearance of diamonds — whether they’re lab-grown or natural.
@locaeclectic The best way to clean your solid gold, brass and silver jewelry 🍋 #lifehack ♬ original sound – Alexis Nido-Russo
4) Vinegar — Recommended with caution.
Look, vinegar is good when it comes to DIY cleaning solutions. Though for jewellery, it should be used with caution.
Vinegar inexpensive and readily available in most households. It’s also useful for removing tarnish from certain metals. However, just like lemon juice, its acidic nature can damage gemstones and finishes, and prolonged exposure can weaken the metal settings.
I’d recommend using vinegar cautiously on the metal parts of the jewellery and avoid contact with gemstones and even lab-grown diamonds. Don’t soak your jewellery in vinegar for an extended period as it can have a lasting negative effect, and make sure to rinse your pieces thoroughly to remove any acidic residue.
3) Baking soda, aluminium foil and hot water — Recommended with caution.
Baking soda is the second biggest jewellery-cleaning hack, capturing widespread global attention with over 10 million combined TikTok views. The hack involves covering a bowl in aluminium foil and adding a teaspoon of baking soda and hot water before placing your jewellery pieces in for two-to-five minutes.